Bounedjah scores four as Al-Sadd defeat Al-Kharaitiyat 4-1 in the Emir’s Cup quarterfinal

Al-Sadd reached the semifinals of HH the Emir’s Cup after a convincing 4-1 win over Al-Kharaitiyat in the quarterfinal that was played on Friday evening at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

Baghdad Bounedjah scored all four goals for Al-Sadd (8′, 36′, 40′, 90+4′[P]) while Sanjar Tursunov scored the lone goal for Al-Kharaitiyat in the 30th minute.

Early pressure from Al-Sadd, Bounedjah scores

The match began with Al-Sadd applying pressure on the Al-Kharaitiyat defence from the kickoff. Al-Sadd captain Xavi had an early chance to score (3′) but his shot from just outside the box, went over the crossbar. In the 8th minute, Bounedjah made it 1-0 to the Wolves; the Algerian controlled an aerial pass from Xavi before finishing past Al-Kharaitiyat keeper Ahmed Sufyan.

Saddawi domination

Al-Sadd went on to control the proceedings after taking the lead. Al-Kharaitiyat players were on the back foot as they faced the onslaught from their opponents. Hassan Al-Haydos sent in a cross (22′) but the defence cleared the ball just before it reached Bounedjah. Abdelkarim Hassan then had a chance to score but his header (26′) went slightly over the crossbar.

Sanjar equalizes

In the 30th minute, Al-Kharaitiyat levelled the scores after the Al-Sadd defenders failed to clear the ball. Uzbek striker Sanjar latched on to the ball before slotting it in past Saad Al-Dosari in goal, making it 1-1. Xavi almost put Al-Sadd back in the lead after getting past two defenders but his shot wasn’t up to the mark.

Bounedjah scores twice

The Wolves then managed to get back in the lead through Bounedjah. First, he headed in from a Xavi corner (36′) before he completed his hattrick with great composure (40′), following good passing with Hamroun.

Fourth goal for Bounedjah

In first-half injury time, Bounedjah scored yet another goal and this time, it was from the penalty spot. He won the penalty himself and then stepped up to convert past Ahmed Sufyan to make the score 4-1 going into halftime.

Calm start to the second half

The second half started in a calm manner, with Al-Sadd showing a clear domination. In the 64th minute, Hamroun had a powerful shot from outside the penalty box, which was cleared by Ahmed Sufyan for a corner.

Al-Sadd make changes

In the 68th minute, Al-Sadd made their first change of the match, bringing on Mohamed Kasola in place of Ali Asad. The match went on in the same manner, with Al-Sadd looking to score with attempts now and then. In the 80th minute, Al-Sadd took off Hamroun and Hamed Ismail and brought on Hamza Al-Sanhaji and Hussam Kamal. The referee then went on to signal for 4 minutes of additional time before finally blowing the whistle for full-time, giving Al-Sadd a 4-1 win and a place in the semifinals.

MATCH DETAILS

Al-Sadd x Al-Kharaitiyat (HH the Emir’s Cup)

VENUE:

Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium

LINEUPS:

Al-Sadd: Saad Al-Dosari, Morteza Pouraliganji, Ibrahim Majid, Abdelkarim Hassan, Hamed Ismail (Hussam Kamal), Pedro, Ali Asad (Mohamed Kasola), Xavi, Jugurtha Hamroun (Hamza Al-Sanhaji), Hassan Al-Haydos, Baghdad Bounedjah

Al-Kharaitiyat: Ahmed Sufyan, Domingos Santos, Hammad Al-Shammari (Rashid Tiber), Mohammed Abdulrahman, Saoud Nasser, Sanjar Tursunov, Anouar Diba, Mohammed Salam, Mahmoud Saad, Al-Mahdi Al-Khammasi, Abdulrahman Musbeh

RESULT:

Al-Sadd won 4-1

GOALS:

Baghdad Bounedjah 8′, 36′, 40′, 45+4′

Sanjar Tursunov 30′

BOOKINGS:

Hassan Al-Haydos 24′

Domingos Santos 43′

REFEREES:

Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Main referee)

Taleb Salem (Linesman)

Saoud Ahmed (Linesman)

Abdullah Ayed (Fourth official)

Ahmed Al-Sayed (Additional)

Hussayn Shuwaykh (Additional)